Get A Grip - Share A Tip! Money Saving Tips

I'm going to pay your mortgage payment! Wait... no I'm not, you are. Wait, no... you're not. You're actually not going to pay it by not paying for things. Things get us into trouble, hence the ridiculous American culture that one must shine over others with gadgets, cars, over priced food, clothing and name brands that offer nothing but bragging rights.

Who invented hand bags for $800 and who is buying them!? If you are, I'd love to hear from you and find out why. Obviously if you have zero credit debt, own your home outright and have no car payment, you may want to splurge on an expensive purse or other items. Frivolous spending and many other non necessities plague our finances and bank accounts. Enough already! Let's get a grip and live smarter so we can keep our head over our roof. or...

Gas savings - Get the junk out of the trunk. Replace air filters. Keep your tires inflated. Slow down. A few more tips Savings: 25 cents a gallon...

Hang up the phone - Do you really use your land line at home? If not, cancel it. Many of us hold on because it's what we grew up with. Hold on to your $30+ a month savings instead. If you insist on keeping it, check your bill and reduce some of your features. 3-way calling? You don't use it. Overpriced line service charges? By now, you could have purchased the lines. Evaluate your cell phone services. Unlimited texts, 50 million minutes... Could you get away with 1,000? Talk with your provider and have them evaluate your actual usage. I recently did this keeping texts unlimited and I'm still saving $45 a month.

The Extravagant Latte - Make a pot. Drink coffee at work. Bring a thermos. Save $60+ a month.

Smokers - We know the big way to save is to quit but if you do smoke, at least switch to generic. Save $40 a month. Cut back five cigarettes a day for another $27 a month!

Home Energy - Change your furnace filter monthly, turn down your hot water tank and thermostat and put it on a timer for when you're not home. Keep decorative lights off and replace bulbs with energy efficient ones. I have a billion additional tips on this topic that could potentially save you a couple hundred dollars a month.

Change - Not only your habits of spending but change itself. If you pay with bills rounding off to the higher end each time and pocket all the change, you could save up to $75 a month. Example: A pack of gum is $1.25 (Give them $2.00) It works.

Food - One of our biggest expenses. Cut back the fast food and going out to dinner/lunch, just three days a week, and save $36+ for lunches $240+ for dinners per month. Don't shop at convenience stores. Buy store brand generic items. Generics aren't what they used to be...

Car Insurance - Call your insurance company and increase your deductible for vehicles to $500 or $1,000. If you have an older car, you can drop it altogether. Have your situation reevaluated. Most of us grab insurance and go, forgetting about what we originally signed up for. Your good record, increase in age, and miles traveled to and from work can change your monthly rate. Savings: $15-$50 per month.

Home owners insurance - This one is easily overlooked too. Call four local/national insurance companies and get free quotes. Do this all at once and don't spread this out a over multi-week process. If your credit has improved over the years, you can get a lower rate. If you increase your deductible, you can save money. You'll be surprised at the quote fluctuations. Savings: $15-$50 per month.

Ladies - I guarantee you're throwing away at least a hundred dollars a month on make-up, hair products, fake nails, tans and other garbage that doesn't make you more attractive. The same eyeshadow, lip gloss, and bronzer at Macy's is sold at Walgreen's, I swear.

Credit cards - Consolidate them. Choose the card with the lowest rate and contact them about a transfer limit increase. There's no interest on credit cards if you pay them off by the end of the month. I help people rebuild credit and many don't know this. Having good credit can actually save you thousands of dollars a year on many different things involving credit scores, buying a car, house, insurance, interest rates, loans, etc. Credit is extremely important to future wealth and financial security.

Share your tips...